


More Than A Pilot

by localspacepirate



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: M/M, i am storm pilot trash, leia being a space mama to her boys, poe wants 2 love finn that is all, rose never kissed finn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2020-01-05 02:12:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18356486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/localspacepirate/pseuds/localspacepirate
Summary: The rebels narrowly made their escape from the First Order on Crait, and they need time to heal and recover. After his near sacrifice, Finn is in the med ward, and his favorite pilot, Poe Dameron, can't help but to worry about him. Poe has sacrificed his life over and over for the Rebels, and he would give his life to the cause at any moment so, why can't he accept Finn's recklessness?





	More Than A Pilot

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!! This is a fic I wrote for a creative writing class, under the prompt of First Kiss. I am Stormpilot trash, and with my babies coming back to me this December, I decided to go ahead and post it. In this fic, Rose didn't kiss Finn after saving him (she only hugged him cause they're bros). I hope you enjoy, and if there are any other one shot Stormpilot prompts you are interested in, let me know! :)

It was too often Poe Dameron found his life in peril. As the captain of the Black Squadron, he was a prime target for TIE fighters and flying through the vast expanse that was space truly did not offer many places of cover. And joining the rebel army certainly had not helped, as he had nearly been blasted out of the sky, blasted off the ground, or simply blasted in general more times that he could care to remember. 

But as an adrenaline junkie, Poe craved the feeling of his life dangling by a single thread, the feeling of launching his X-Wing from a starship’s deck, and above all, the satisfaction of having accomplished something of importance. His parents died as rebels, beside Leia Organa when the First Order had been brewing within the New Republic, and Poe would not let the cause they died for diminish due to his cowardice. 

And it was why he understood Finn, the former stormtrooper, as he tried to drive his bike into the canon of the First Order to buy the rebels in Crait more time. Would it have blown up the entire fleet? Poe wasn’t an engineer nor a technician and could not estimate how big the blast would have been, but he knew that wasn’t the point. The point was to fight for what you believed in, to fight, even if it meant giving your life so one more could be saved. 

That being said, he also found a heavy weight lifted from him the moment Rose Tico crashed her own bike into Finn’s, stopping him from ending his life and destroying the First Order’s battering ram. Their lives were no less in danger and the quick death of an explosion may have been more peaceful than the traitors’ death of the First Order if they were caught, but it was the slightest bit more time with Finn.

It wouldn’t be until later that night, as he sat on a bunk in the Millennium Falcon that Poe realized how hoarse his throat had become – as though sandpaper had been rubbed along his esophagus and settled in his stomach. He couldn’t remember screaming. As hectic as the day had been, he thought he managed to keep himself composed in the face of danger, welcome it even. But there was a time in which was hazy in his mind – the period in which his eyes tracked the trajectory of Finn’s mission and what his intentions were. The few seconds that it lasted were a blur within his mind, and Poe began to think that perhaps, he had been screaming for Finn to stop, to turn back, to save being the hero for someone else and come back to him.

But that was merely the speculation of a very confused man. 

As his thoughts began to come to a conclusion, Poe slowly shook his head, his shaggy hair falling in front of his eyes as he rose to his feet, his fingers tapping against his pilot’s jacket as he looked around the bunk. 

It was small, suited for perhaps only four people and out of respect, Poe had been left alone to sleep the day off as the rest of the rebels gathered in the main hull of the ship, charting where they would land next. The ship was – interesting to say the least. She was as old as Poe’s parents were, and perhaps even older, and as much as the man respected a ship that could fly well, she was too antique and clunky for his taste. 

Perhaps he would have enjoyed it more had he been allowed to pilot, but between Rey and the Wookie, Chewie they called him, Poe didn’t dare to step in the cockpit. 

Instead, he began to wander from the bunk, his thoughts remaining on Finn as his feet carried him in the direction of the medical bay. He hadn’t had the chance to speak with the man since the events on Crait unfolded - the moment they took off, Finn began to tend to Rose’s wounds and Poe found himself swept away by the rebels to disclose any friendly planets he knew.

And Poe found himself nervous to confront Finn. During times of war, people change, Poe knew that but he also hoped that Finn hadn’t lost the man he was when they escaped from the First Order’s starship. He was good – selfless in how he grew to care for people and loyal no matter what he had to endure. He didn’t need to be the hero, and Poe didn’t want him to be the hero. Heroes were the reckless ones, the ones that got killed. 

A sudden beeping interrupted Poe as he looked down, his eyes immediately lighting up an orange sphere bumped against his legs.

“Buddy!” Kneeling down, Poe reached out for BB8’s head, his fingertips making scratching motions against the back of what would count as his neck.

BB8 responded in a series of beeps and boops that caused Poe to shake his head, “No, no, nothing is wrong. I was just thinking – but I’m more worried about you! Did you get your oil wash?”  
The droid made nodding motions, and Poe grinned, giving him a little pat near his antenna before he rose to his feet. 

“I’m going to find Finn, but I’ve heard there’s another droid on here that you love.”

At the mention of R2-D2, BB8’s body began to spin around, his head slightly detaching but managing to stay close to its place thanks to the magnets. Squealing plans and praise over the older astromech, BB8 inclined his head up towards Poe, as though to bid him farewell. 

“Go have fun, BB8, I’ll see you after.” The pilot smiled as the droid launched himself as Poe’s legs, nudging him in what Poe liked to think was a hug before the droid’s body spun, facing the opposite direction as he took off rolling down the corridor and towards the hull. 

Turning his attention to the medical bay door, Poe nodded before he placed his hand on it and pushed it open. He was greeted with a sight that happened to be all too familiar – there were metal shelves lining the walls, some with medical supplies and others littered with blasters. A few chairs laid scattered across the room, covered with blankets and jackets that must have accumulated over the years the ship had been flying. And in the corner, a single bunk bed was pressed against the wall. On the bottom bunk laid an unconscious Rose Tico, her body covered with a blanket. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, and Poe thought she looked awfully clean – Finn must have washed her cheeks of the charcoal that usually stained them. 

Finn. 

Poe turned his head towards the former stormtrooper, his eyes softening as he watched how Finn had fallen asleep in the chair beside Rose’s bed, his mouth slightly open. He still wore Poe’s old jacket, however from the blasters and battle, it had earned itself a few more years in the leather that Poe made a note of to stitch later. The man wasn’t the most proficient seamstress, but he couldn’t imagine Finn was any better. 

The thought brought a smile to his lips. 

Deciding he wished to not interrupt Finn, Poe turned on his heels, ready to walk to the hull when he heard as Finn startled awake. 

“Poe?” Immediately, Finn rose to his feet, the sleep washed from his face as he regarded the pilot. 

“Finn,” Poe turned back around, nodding towards the man, “You sleep enough?” 

Finn nodded as he rose his hand to his eyes, rubbing his eyelids with the back of his palm – the innocent gesture caused Poe to smile even wider, his hip pressing against the doorway as he leaned against it. 

“I didn’t even realize I fell asleep, I meant to come find you after Rose was stable.”

“You did?” Poe found himself surprised, and it showed on his face as he kept his gaze steady on Finn, the man nodding again. 

“I wanted to make sure that you were okay.”

“You wanted to see if I was okay?” Poe’s eyes widened as his lips parted at the dropping motion of his jaw, “Finn, you’re the one who nearly got yourself killed! Against a direct order.” 

It was a bit hypocritical really – the man who constantly defied authority and paved his own path of instinctual choices preaching about rules and commands.

Defense seemed to blossom through Finn as he folded his arms across his chest and tilted his chin slightly higher – Poe wasn’t that much taller than him, but it gave the man more confidence, “You would have done it.”

The logic there held truth. Poe would have done – hell, Poe has done it. He’s risked his life on multiple occasions against the orders of a General, which would have gotten him court martialed had they not tended to work.

“That’s not the point,” Poe’s voice drained of his usual playful, careless tone as he regarded Finn, his lips pursuing as the skin of his forehead creased, “The rebellion needs people like you, Finn. The rebellion needs you.”

I need you.

The proclamation teased Poe’s tongue. How desperately he wanted to say it – to tell Finn that ever since the day they had met, he lingered in his thoughts, stuck with an adhesive Poe didn’t quite recognize. He’s cared for people before – Leia, his squadron, his parents, and that love was heightened beyond anything Poe could explain. But the feeling towards Finn was different. 

“The rebellion doesn’t need an ex-stormtrooper.” Countering, Finn shook his head, a look of understanding crossing his face, “They need people like you, Poe. Heroes.”  
Finn said the word in a way that nearly made Poe believe it. 

“I’m not a hero. Nobody needs me, there are plenty of me.” 

“I need you.” Finn’s voice cracked, and the rebellious facade he had thrown up suddenly crumbled as his voice became desperate. 

“You need a pilot.”

Poe didn’t mean for it to sound malicious. It was one of the very first things the man had ever said to Finn, and at the time, he hadn’t minded simply being a pilot. He was a damn good one, and anyone wishing to defect from the First Order would be lucky to have him as an escape, but after the time, the adventures that the men had shared, Poe allowed himself to believe that he had become more than a pilot. 

But that was his mistake. 

“No, Poe. I need you.” 

It startled Poe to hear.

In the time he had known Finn, Poe never knew the man to be authoritative or sure of anything. He seemed to doubt himself at each turn, relying on false bravado and timing for success. But the way he said those three words – it echoed the tone of a command given by a general. 

And perhaps, this was one command the pilot would listen to. 

Poe Dameron was not a man who knew the definition of middle ground. When he made decisions, he found himself either all in or all out – it was the doctrine that guided his life. Because of it, he often made careless mistakes, acted before he thought, and did what he wanted to do right there, right then. 

So when he stepped forward, he did not just walk, he bounded across the room, his arms outstretched before his callus ridden hands found Finn’s cheeks. The other man appeared startled but didn’t back away. Pulling Finn towards him and leaning forward in the same moment, Poe’s lips crashed against Finn’s.

And at first, Poe felt Finn freeze – the pilot hadn’t stopped to consider that it was Finn’s first kiss, he hadn’t stopped to consider the consequences of kissing him, and a sudden surge of fear cause his blood to grow cold. 

But then Finn leaned forward, and Poe tasted honey and smelled salt. It was an odd combination and not one the pilot would have accepted had it originated from anyone else. 

Poe was not a man of the middle ground, but as his hands slid across Finn’s cheeks and his lips worked to guide the other’s, he made his motions soft and instead of leaning in, he pulled back, allowing Finn to retain some of his control – not for lack of passion, but for the hopes that Finn would allow it again. 

They continued kissing, a gentle two step of their lips, and Poe could have sworn that the feeling was better than the first time he took off in his X-wing. Finn’s bravery became prevalent as his arms snaked around Poe’s neck, pulling him closer until his back had pressed against one of the walls. 

But Finn’s chest was heaving and Poe was smiling. As he had initiated the kiss, Poe felt responsible for reminding the their man to breathe so, he pulled his lips slowly away from Finn’s, having to truly force himself to break the connection. Both men began to breathe rather heavily, catching their breath. 

“Was that okay?” Reaching out, Poe’s thumb gently brushed across the right side of Finn’s cheek as the other man nodded. 

“That was a lot more than okay, Poe Dameron.”

Their lips split into grins as Poe leaned forward again, Finn meeting him in the middle this time. 

As he awaited the familiar taste of sweet honey, a sudden clearing of the throat interrupted them, followed by a few beeps. 

Poe pulled himself slowly away from where Finn was pressed against the wall, turning to see his droid standing beside an older woman who had her weight propped against a cane. 

The sight of Leia Organa was the only thing that truly could have frightened Poe as her stern look surveyed him and then Finn.

He could only imagine how he would have to make this up to her – weeks of scrubbing the floors of the Millennium Falcon for inappropriate behavior while on duty. 

But it was her smile that took Poe by surprised. 

“It was about damn time,” Leia scoffed as she tapped her cane against the floor, BB8 squealing and spinning in an excited circle beside her.


End file.
